DEGREED is a four-piece Melodic Rock/Metal band from Stockholm, Sweden and they have had the audacity to release the noises of their "Public Address" on our unexpecting and unprepared ears. This feat actually happened on July 7^th 2023, and I hate to admit my ignorance and say that this is my very first encounter with them. And I really do feel ashamed, especially when I look up the history and learn that DEGREED has been around since 2005, and "Public Address" is their seventh album to date. Damn, have I been blind/deaf? Do I regret not going to see them live a little while ago, when they were playing with my good friends of MAESTRO, just 40 miles down the road? I certainly do now, after listening to "Public Address", as DEGREED delivers some high-class Melodic Rock, which makes them being signed to Frontiers Music Srl very logical.

When I listen to the first three songs, the only feeling I get is euphoria. This is 'make-me-happy' music of the highest order. The DEGREED brand of with a singer who at times resembles GLENN HUGHES is a recipe for success. Of course they have acquired their own sound, but I just can't shake the feeling that if DEGREED would have been around in the heyday of selling records, they would have been a multi-million accomplished band.

After the first three tunes the emphasis changes a bit, and the music goes more towards eighties DOKKEN meets DEF LEPPARD. It is a small difference, but what I mainly mean is that DEGREED is using a little more subtlety in tones and riffs. And before you ask, yes, that also is sounding very good, further strengthening the experience that "Public Address" is providing for me. Every song is thought out from start to finish, has a proper build, a strong body and something that will hold your interest. What that does is provide you with over 44 minutes of pure pleasure, brought to you by DEGREED.

I am not a big fan of speaking out in the open myself, but if I had a "Public Address" like this album to share with the world, I would be shouting it from the rooftop. As loud as I can. Which also is the best way to play this, the latest release by the fabulous DEGREED. Of course you have already guessed that my love of "Public Address" will make it mandatory for me to find out whether the rest of their library lives up to this one. I'm looking forward to a very exciting ride whilst discovering this.